No Longer Alone
by kmah88
Summary: ...not sure yet. just an idea that was in my head. may or may not continue with it.
1. Nightmare

Alice burst into the room in a panic. I could tell by her rumpled pajamas, disheveled hair, and red line running the length of her cheek that she had been sleeping. But her eyes were wide and her breathing accelerated.

"Dad, someone needs help!" she spluttered.

My dad and I exchanged a glance. Alice was easily worked up.

"Who needs help, Alice?"

"I don't know!" she wailed, throwing her hands to her sides.

"Um, Al…" I hedged.

My spritely sister threw me a dagger stare as if to say _Don't start!_

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and began again, slowly. "I saw someone... In the woods."

"It's alright, honey. You had a nightmare. It's late. Let's get you back to bed." He began packing away the chess pieces and board that had been occupying the two of us for the last hour or so. "Edward, you should head to bed too, son."

He clapped a hand meant to soothe on Alice's small shoulder, giving me a knowing look as he passed behind her and headed for the stairs.

She turned towards me, eyes still full of emotion. "Edward, please! She's all alone."

She? Something about this got to me.

Alice, like all of us adopted siblings, had had a rough start to life. Our parents, Carlisle and Esme, essentially saved us from our various personal hells. Before that, we had coped with life as best we could and had each cultivated certain traits to help us do so. I, for instance, was really good at reading people. I could see people's thoughts and emotions play out across their facial features and in their body language. The ability had aided me in my previous life because I knew how my actions, or lack thereof, were being received. I could avoid certain things more easily this way. Overtime, if became habit and I did it without even trying. My family often joked that I could veritably read minds.

Similarly, Alice also became good at reading situations. Her brain worked so quickly, absorbing every little detail of everything going on around her. She carefully thought through each possible outcome of any given situation before deciding on the best course of action. Or at least, the course of action which would bring her the least amount of trouble. With time, she began to notice patterns of behaviour in those she was surrounded by. As a matter of survival, she learned people's habits quickly and often knew what they were going to do before they knew it themselves.

Alice. Our little mind-reader.

However, this was different. Her seeming talent for clairvoyance did not extend to dreams. Not that any of us had ever noticed anyway. But something about her desperation and insistence had me not wanting to bet against her.

"Alright," I huffed. "Where should I look?"

Her anxious expression abruptly transformed into a huge, tooth-filled grin that seemed to extend right to the tips of her short, spikey hair.

"Really?" she squeaked.

"Alice, don't make me change my mind."

"Okay," she started, trying to arrange her features into a business-like stoicism.

She described in perfect detail a particular section of the forest not too far from our property line. We hiked as family frequently and all knew the forest around our home and neighbouring town like the back of our hands.

"Thanks for doing this." She beamed at me.

"Hmph. You owe me." I promised in a low voice, shrugging into my coat. I opened the door as quietly as I could manage. "And it's not like I was planning on sleeping or anything." My voice oozed sarcasm. I looked back at my sister.

Alice's face had returned to the worried look she wore earlier and her eyes seemed focused on something far away.

"Hurry. She's hurt."

As I made my way through the dark, thick, slippery brush, I began to wonder what the hell I was actually doing out here. Wandering around the woods at one-thirty in the morning trying to locate someone who most likely didn't even exist. Alice! How did she manage to convince me to do this again? She definitely knew how to make people do what she wanted. I don't know how Jasper handled it. In fact, he was lucky that he and Emmett were off camping this weekend, or I'm sure Alice would have him out here too. I hadn't wanted to join them this time, but right now, was regretting my decision.

I shoved my hands deeper into my coat pockets. It was colder than usual for late September. At least it wasn't raining tonight.

I was coming up to the spot Alice had said I would find the hurt, lonely girl. I shook my head. This was beyond ridiculous. A nightmare had brought me out of my warm house and kept me from my comfortable bed. Exactly where I really wanted to be in that moment.

That's when I heard it. A soft, quiet moan.

I almost tripped over the small, curled form right at my feet. I froze. I couldn't make my mind work for several long moments. I was in shock. Alice had been right!


	2. Found

A/N: I guess I should make the normal disclaimer. I don't own Edward, Bella or any of the other characters. Stephenie Meyer is the one to thank for that. I just made up what is happening to them this time around.

I still don't know how much of this story I'm going to write. If you like it and want to see more, please review and let me know.

* * *

Holy shit! Oh my god!

Once my brain finally processed that this was real, I panicked. I dropped to my knees beside her. My hands came up immediately, then faltered. I wanted desperately to help but didn't know what to do. Very gently, I touched her shoulder. _She's so cold._

"Hey. Are you okay?"

What a stupid question! Of course the girl was not okay. She wasn't wearing enough. Just a short sleeved t-shirt and jeans. Her rapid breathing was shallow and ragged and it hitched and broke unevenly. Her long, brown hair was tangled around her face and it looked like – was that blood on forehead?

Fuck! Carlisle would know what to do. I sat back on my heels to pull my cell from my pocket. Suddenly, a small hand shot out from the darkness and clutched the front of my shirt with more strength than should have been possible.

"Please," a piteous voice begged, "don't leave me."

Although it was raspy, it also had a melodic tone to it. Like someone singing through a bout of laryngitis.

Drawn in by the sound and the desperation of the plea, my eyes flashed back to her face.

The most startling chocolate brown eyes were staring back at me. My breath caught in my throat. Those eyes were so beautiful. I'd never seen eyes like that before. They were clear and deep.

They also held a certain horror in their depth, like this girl had seen more than anyone one person ever should. I felt like an ice-cold, iron fist was gripping my heart.

"I won't," I promised.

I did the only thing I could. Gingerly sliding one arm under her shoulders and the other behind her knees, I lifted her to my chest and stood.

She was so tiny. Not like Alice – Alice was short and waif-like but proportional. This girl was taller but probably weighed even less. Her bones protruded and it seemed like I could feel each one despite her clothes. In the faint moonlight filtering through the trees, I could see that her cheeks were sunken, skin stretched taut around her face. She was no burden at all. It was like carrying a stack of bedding.

And I could now feel the warm blood from her head seeping into my shirt. She must have fallen and hit her head on something. I could only hope it wasn't too serious.

As soon as I began striding back towards the house, her body went limp, the grasp on my shirt forgotten. Her head lolled to the side in an unnatural way. This would have terrified me further had I not been able to feel her faint heart beat against my chest. It was slow and weak but… determined somehow. I clutched her tighter to my body as I hurried home.

I felt a small measure of relief as the lights of the front porch came into view. Hastily making my way up the steps, I shifted the girl in my arms to reach for the knob.

"Carlisle!" I yelled as I entered.

Within moments, the house was a flurry of activity. Carlisle gathered his coat and bag while Esme and Alice scurried around gathering various items. Rosalie, however, stood off the side, against the wall almost like she was hugging it. I couldn't quite decipher the expression on her face.

Mere seconds passed before there was a blanket wrapped around the girl and a towel at her head wound. I relayed what had happened as I held the girl while they worked around me.

We loaded her into the car and sped off to the hospital where Carlisle worked.

Once we arrived at the ER, the overwhelming helplessness consumed me. The girl was taken from my arms and rushed behind a curtain where my father and a group of nurses did their thing. I could do nothing but remain in the waiting room where Carlisle promised he would find me when he was finished.

It seemed like hours. I don't know how much time actually passed since my eyes were fixed on the door. At length, Carlisle emerged.

"The head wound was superficial," he explained. But before I had the chance to feel relieved, he continued, "Her current physical condition, however, is cause for great concern. She's severely dehydrated and malnourished. We'll be keeping her here for a while, it looks like. She's still unconscious. The nurse is taking her to her own room now."

I exhaled the breath I was unaware that I had been holding. "Can I see her?"

"Edward, you should go home and get some sleep. We've got a good staff here. She'll be well taken care of."

"No," I said, adamantly shaking my head. "I promised her."

My father gave me a quizzical look. "Hmm…" He must have seen my resolve because he simply said, "Come on then."

I followed Carlisle through the quiet hallways to the girl's private room.

Another wave of helplessness crashed over me as I took in the sight of her tiny body lying motionless in the large, railed bed. I was haunted by the look I had seen in her eyes. She was afraid of something. Or someone. What evil had she witnessed? What had happened to her?

"Do you recognize her?" Carlisle interrupted my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh… no, I don't know her. I've never seen her before."

"Hmm. She seems familiar to me. But… no, I don't recognize her either," he mused. "Well, someone must be looking for her. I wonder where she came from. And how on Earth did she end up in the woods?" He shook his blonde head, tutting.

"I have some paperwork to take care of. Are you sure…?"

"I'm not leaving." I cut him off.

He gave me a small smile and left the room.

I pulled the lone chair up to the bed side and sat, leaning forward, elbows resting on my knees.

For the first time, I got a really good look at her. Her wound had been wrapped in a thick bandage. She was definitely too thin. She was also very pale. Her skin seemed almost see-through, blue veins visible beneath the surface. Her lips were dry and colourless. Her limp hair splayed across the pillow tangled locks. Even in unconsciousness, she wasn't peaceful. Her face was contorted almost as if she was in pain.

Despite all of this, there was a certain quality about her looks. She would probably be very pretty.

I thought about Carlisle's questions. Was someone looking for her? And if so, was that a good thing or not? Was there someone who cared about her? Or had she only known monsters? How _had _she ended up in the cold, dark forest, underdressed and injured? Was she running from someone?

I felt a surge of protectiveness well up from somewhere deep inside me. I didn't understand it. I didn't know her. Hours ago, I had been oblivious to her existence. I stared at the girl I didn't know. I was clearly no longer oblivious.

I leaned my chin on the edge of the mattress, close to her face and exhaled a long, shaky sigh.

"You're safe now."


End file.
